---
title: "What Is a First Article Inspection? AS9102 Explained"
description: "An FAI proves the first part off a new process matches the print. What Forms 1, 2 and 3 require, when shops ask for one, and typical cost."
canonical: https://openspindle.com/blog/first-article-inspection
author: "Tom"
datePublished: 2026-08-22T00:00:00.000Z
dateModified: 2026-08-22T00:00:00.000Z
category: "Quality & Compliance"
---

# What Is a First Article Inspection?

A First Article Inspection is a complete, documented verification that the first part produced from a new process matches every requirement on the drawing. Under AS9102 it produces three forms covering part identity, materials and processes, and every individual characteristic with its measured value. Unlike PPAP it is not statistical: it proves one part is right, not that the process will stay right.

## The three AS9102 forms

| Form | Name | What it captures |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Form 1 | Part Number Accountability | Part number, revision, drawing, serial or lot, supplier, and whether the FAI is full or partial |
| Form 2 | Product Accountability | Materials, special processes such as heat treat or plating, and the certifications behind each |
| Form 3 | Characteristic Accountability | Every ballooned characteristic on the drawing, its requirement, the measured result, and pass or fail |

*Form 3 is the bulk of the work. Every dimension, note, finish callout and material requirement on the drawing gets a balloon number and a measured value beside it.*

## The ballooned drawing

An FAI starts with ballooning: numbering every requirement on the drawing so each has a unique reference. That includes dimensions, geometric tolerances, surface finish callouts, material specifications, notes and even title-block requirements. Each balloon becomes a row on Form 3.

This is why FAI cost scales with drawing complexity rather than part complexity. A simple turned part with forty dimensions and a dozen notes generates more than fifty rows. Every one needs a measurement and a record.

It is also the reason drawing hygiene pays for itself. Redundant dimensions, duplicated notes and inherited boilerplate all become billable inspection rows.

## When a shop will ask for one

An FAI is triggered by a new part number, a design change affecting form, fit or function, a change in manufacturing process or method, a change of manufacturing location or sub-supplier, a change in tooling, or a lapse in production of two years or more.

A partial FAI covers only the characteristics affected by a change, rather than the entire drawing. If you changed one dimension, you should be paying for a partial, not a full re-inspection. It is worth saying so explicitly on the purchase order.

## FAI versus PPAP versus a dimensional report

| What it is | Dimensional report | First Article (AS9102) | Full PPAP |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Origin | Informal, shop-specific | Aerospace, SAE AS9102 | Automotive, AIAG |
| Ballooned drawing | Sometimes | Required | Required |
| Every characteristic verified | No, usually key dims only | Yes | Yes |
| Statistical capability data | No | No | Yes |
| Typical added lead time | 1 to 3 days | 3 to 10 days | 2 to 6 weeks |

*For most consumer hardware, robotics and industrial equipment, an FAI is the right level. Full PPAP is automotive.*

## What an FAI costs, and how to keep it down

FAI cost scales with the number of characteristics on the drawing, not with the size or complexity of the part. That is the single most useful thing to understand about it, because it means the cost is largely under your control at the drawing stage.

A simple turned part with forty dimensions and a dozen notes generates more than fifty rows on Form 3. Each row needs a measurement, a record and a signature. A more complex part with a cleaner drawing can cost less to inspect than a simple part with a messy one.

The practical levers: remove redundant and duplicated dimensions, delete inherited title-block boilerplate that does not apply, use general tolerances in the title block rather than dimensioning everything explicitly, and ask for a partial FAI rather than a full one when a change affects only some characteristics.

| Drawing choice | Effect on FAI cost |
| --- | --- |
| Every dimension explicitly toleranced | Higher. Each becomes its own inspection row |
| General tolerance block plus a few critical callouts | Lower. Fewer rows, clearer intent |
| Redundant or duplicated dimensions | Higher, for no benefit |
| Inherited boilerplate notes that do not apply | Higher, and often causes clarification delays |
| Partial FAI after a small change | Much lower than a full re-inspection |

## What to send with your RFQ

Ask for the FAI at quote time rather than after the parts are made. Retrofitting an inspection onto a finished job means the shop may have to re-run parts to have something to measure.

Send the drawing in a format that can be ballooned, which in practice means a PDF as well as the model. Say whether you need AS9102 forms specifically or just a dimensional report, because the difference in cost is real and many buyers ask for AS9102 when they do not need it.

Say whether you want the FAI on the first article only, or on the first article from each production lot. And confirm whether you want the parts held pending your review of the FAI, or shipped alongside it. Holding parts is often the right call on a first run and it costs nothing to specify.

## What happens when an FAI fails

A failed characteristic is not automatically a scrapped lot, and knowing the options in advance keeps a failure from becoming a schedule crisis.

If the part is out of tolerance but functionally acceptable, the normal route is a deviation or concession: you document that you accept this specific lot as-is, and the drawing stays unchanged. This is the right answer when the tolerance was tighter than the function actually needed, which is more often than most teams expect.

If the characteristic genuinely matters, the shop reworks or re-runs, and you re-inspect only the affected characteristics rather than the whole drawing.

If the same characteristic fails repeatedly, the tolerance is probably wrong rather than the shop. A dimension that no supplier can hold consistently is a design problem wearing a manufacturing costume, and the fix is a drawing revision, not a more expensive shop.

The thing worth agreeing before the first run: who has authority to grant a deviation on your side, and how fast. An FAI failure with no decision-maker available stops the line just as effectively as a broken tool.

## Making the FAI useful rather than ceremonial

Plenty of FAIs get filed and never read, which wastes the money you spent on them. A few habits turn it into something that actually protects you.

Read Form 3 for characteristics that passed but only barely. A dimension sitting at the very edge of its tolerance band on the first article will drift out of it in production. That is the early warning the document exists to give you, and it is invisible if you only check the pass or fail column.

Compare the FAI against the quote. If the shop quoted a process that the Form 2 material and process record does not reflect, ask why before the production run.

Keep it with the revision it belongs to. An FAI filed against the wrong drawing revision is worse than none, because it looks like evidence and is not.

And ask for the ballooned drawing back alongside the forms. It is the single most useful artefact for the next revision, because it shows exactly which requirements someone had to interpret.

## Related reading

- [PPAP levels explained](https://openspindle.com/blog/ppap-levels-explained.md)
- [How to read a mill test report](https://openspindle.com/blog/mill-test-report.md)
- [GD&T symbols reference](https://openspindle.com/reference/gdt-symbols-reference.md)
- [CNC machining tolerance chart](https://openspindle.com/reference/cnc-machining-tolerance-chart.md)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is an FAI required outside aerospace?

AS9102 specifically is an aerospace standard, but the practice is common everywhere. Many shops will produce an equivalent first article report on request for any industry. If you are not in aerospace you may not need the exact AS9102 forms, just the underlying verification.

### Who pays for the FAI?

The customer, effectively. It appears as a one-time line item on the quote or is folded into first-article pricing. Expect it to scale with the number of characteristics on the drawing, not the size of the part.

### Does an FAI expire?

It becomes invalid when something changes: the design, the process, the location, the tooling, or the sub-supplier. AS9102 also calls for a new FAI after two years without production of that part.

### What is the difference between a full and a partial FAI?

A full FAI verifies every characteristic on the drawing. A partial covers only the characteristics affected by a specific change, such as a single revised dimension or a new sub-supplier. If a small change triggered your re-inspection, ask for a partial explicitly, because full re-inspection of an unchanged drawing is wasted money.

### Who does the measuring, the shop or a third party?

Normally the shop, using calibrated equipment with traceable calibration records. Third-party inspection is used where the customer requires independence, where the shop lacks the metrology for a particular feature, or where a previous escape has damaged trust. It costs more and adds lead time, so specify it only if you need it.

### Does an FAI guarantee the rest of the parts are good?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. An FAI proves one part was correct at one moment. It says nothing statistical about the process staying in control. If you need that assurance, you are asking for capability data, which is a PPAP concept, not an FAI one.